Chapter 1
Harry Potter walked into the Leaky Cauldron that day with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his two very best friends, at his sides and the rest of Ron's family ahead of them, walking fast paced, or at least faster than the three. They were walking silently, not noticing their surroundings much. Harry was in a trance, staring past the rest of the Weasley's flaming red hair.
Ever since the end of last year, Harry refused to speak to anybody. He went over to Ron's house, as if it were an annual routine. But this time was different. He hadn't spoken a word since he got to the Burrow. Sure, it was slightly immature of him to do so, but he really didn't know what to say. Ever since the end of last year, he couldn't think of anything else.
Cedric Diggory and Harry both grasped the Triwizard Tournament Cup in the middle of the maze and were jerked to the graveyard hundreds of miles away. Cedric and Harry looked around, hoping for a sign of someone. Somebody comes, but it's Wormtail. he kills Cedric. on the spot.
Harry sighed another painful sigh. He knew Ron and Hermione both stole glances at him- they always did. Whenever Harry sighed like that, they would look, see if he was all right. They would ask, and he would nod, but they didn't know the truth behind it all. They weren't there. All they knew was that Cedric was murdered and Harry was there to see it.
Mrs. Weasley looked back when Harry sighed - even Fred and George seemed to feel sorry for him. He thought how unlucky he was, how terrible he felt about Cedric, how Cedric's parents must have felt learning that their only son was dead, murdered by one of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters.
Then his mind drifted to Cho. Cho Chang was Cedric's girlfriend at the time he was murdered. He knew it must be hard to take a walk in her shoes, and he knew that she was feeling the same way he was on this whole Cedric episode.
Nobody knew that Harry lay awake every night, not a wink tired, thinking about the memory of Cedric. He wished it would all just go away, for good, so he wouldn't have to think of those things. He was so pessimistic, and so sad, that nobody knew any words to say to him. He just sat there, and they let him get engrossed by this sorrow, this pain that surrounded him. He was alone, and nobody could reach him.
Somebody tapped him on the shoulder. He stopped and turned, but the Weasleys and Hermione kept walking. He would catch up with them later.
When he turned, he was surprised to see the girl he had just been thinking about- Cho Chang. She looked so much worse than Harry did. Her eyes were straining to hold back waterfalls of painful tears. She stared at the floor with those eyes, but Harry could see them. Her face was glum, and her posture was lost. She shuffled her feet.
Suddenly, she looked up at Harry and stared him in the eyes- only for a second. He stared right back at her. She moved her hand from behind her back and pulled out an envelope from her bag. She looked at it for a moment, but then thrust it into Harry's arms wordlessly. She ran away, and Harry could tell she was crying.
Harry looked at the envelope. They had communicated thoroughly, though nobody would have known it. Cho's eyes said it all.
He sighed again, and then put the envelope into his bag. He would read it later. Harry turned and started to catch up with the Weasleys, after looking back at the place where Cho had stood. That was the first time Harry ever saw him.
* *
Harry lay wide-awake that night. He couldn't get that mental image of what he saw at the Leaky Cauldron out of his mind. At first he thought he was imagining things - but then, he couldn't be going mad, could he? He wasn't about to go lose his mind over this. No, he thought, I won't. I must have imagined it.
And he settled for that. He must have imagined it. He couldn't have seen that - could he? It was possible. No, he thought firmly. I just imagined it.
Then, as he turned onto his back, he thought, Or, at least, I hope so.
Harry Potter walked into the Leaky Cauldron that day with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his two very best friends, at his sides and the rest of Ron's family ahead of them, walking fast paced, or at least faster than the three. They were walking silently, not noticing their surroundings much. Harry was in a trance, staring past the rest of the Weasley's flaming red hair.
Ever since the end of last year, Harry refused to speak to anybody. He went over to Ron's house, as if it were an annual routine. But this time was different. He hadn't spoken a word since he got to the Burrow. Sure, it was slightly immature of him to do so, but he really didn't know what to say. Ever since the end of last year, he couldn't think of anything else.
Cedric Diggory and Harry both grasped the Triwizard Tournament Cup in the middle of the maze and were jerked to the graveyard hundreds of miles away. Cedric and Harry looked around, hoping for a sign of someone. Somebody comes, but it's Wormtail. he kills Cedric. on the spot.
Harry sighed another painful sigh. He knew Ron and Hermione both stole glances at him- they always did. Whenever Harry sighed like that, they would look, see if he was all right. They would ask, and he would nod, but they didn't know the truth behind it all. They weren't there. All they knew was that Cedric was murdered and Harry was there to see it.
Mrs. Weasley looked back when Harry sighed - even Fred and George seemed to feel sorry for him. He thought how unlucky he was, how terrible he felt about Cedric, how Cedric's parents must have felt learning that their only son was dead, murdered by one of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters.
Then his mind drifted to Cho. Cho Chang was Cedric's girlfriend at the time he was murdered. He knew it must be hard to take a walk in her shoes, and he knew that she was feeling the same way he was on this whole Cedric episode.
Nobody knew that Harry lay awake every night, not a wink tired, thinking about the memory of Cedric. He wished it would all just go away, for good, so he wouldn't have to think of those things. He was so pessimistic, and so sad, that nobody knew any words to say to him. He just sat there, and they let him get engrossed by this sorrow, this pain that surrounded him. He was alone, and nobody could reach him.
Somebody tapped him on the shoulder. He stopped and turned, but the Weasleys and Hermione kept walking. He would catch up with them later.
When he turned, he was surprised to see the girl he had just been thinking about- Cho Chang. She looked so much worse than Harry did. Her eyes were straining to hold back waterfalls of painful tears. She stared at the floor with those eyes, but Harry could see them. Her face was glum, and her posture was lost. She shuffled her feet.
Suddenly, she looked up at Harry and stared him in the eyes- only for a second. He stared right back at her. She moved her hand from behind her back and pulled out an envelope from her bag. She looked at it for a moment, but then thrust it into Harry's arms wordlessly. She ran away, and Harry could tell she was crying.
Harry looked at the envelope. They had communicated thoroughly, though nobody would have known it. Cho's eyes said it all.
He sighed again, and then put the envelope into his bag. He would read it later. Harry turned and started to catch up with the Weasleys, after looking back at the place where Cho had stood. That was the first time Harry ever saw him.
* *
Harry lay wide-awake that night. He couldn't get that mental image of what he saw at the Leaky Cauldron out of his mind. At first he thought he was imagining things - but then, he couldn't be going mad, could he? He wasn't about to go lose his mind over this. No, he thought, I won't. I must have imagined it.
And he settled for that. He must have imagined it. He couldn't have seen that - could he? It was possible. No, he thought firmly. I just imagined it.
Then, as he turned onto his back, he thought, Or, at least, I hope so.